Patterns of Heterochromatin Transitions Linked to Changes in the Expression of Plasmodium falciparum Clonally Variant Genes
Lucas Michel-Todó, Cristina Bancells, Núria Casas-Vila, Núria Rovira‐Graells, Carles Hernandéz-Ferrer, Juan R. González, Alfred Cortés
Abstract
The malaria parasite P. falciparum is responsible for more than half a million deaths every year. P. falciparum clonally variant genes (CVGs) mediate fundamental host-parasite interactions and play a key role in parasite adaptation to fluctuations in the conditions of the human host. The expression of CVGs is regulated at the epigenetic level by changes in the distribution of a type of chromatin called heterochromatin. Here, we describe at a genome-wide level the changes in the heterochromatin distribution associated with the different transcriptional states of CVGs. Our results also reveal a likely role for heterochromatin at a particular locus in determining the parasite investment in transmission to mosquitoes. Additionally, this data set will enable the prediction of the transcriptional state of CVGs from epigenomic data, which is important for the study of parasite adaptation to the conditions of the host in natural malaria infections.